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Floor Speech

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Mr. TUBERVILLE. Madam President, Russia's invasion into Ukraine is changing the global order, the likes of which the world has not witnessed since the end of the Cold War. Vladimir Putin launched an unprovoked and brutal war--one that left the United States and our allies shocked and enraged. The global response to Putin's provocation was a mix of sharp words, hastily delivered weapons, and targeted sanctions, but even as we speak, the actions from the Biden administration are still too weak.

As airwaves were flooded with messages of support and solidarity with Ukraine, one major power was very vocal in their support against Ukraine, and that was China.

China vocally took Russia's side very quickly. The two countries share a land border, but they also issued a statement of solidarity on February 4, just 20 days before the invasion. And there is no doubt that China is looking at the Western response to the war unfolding in Ukraine, and it plans to consume its neighbor, Taiwan, in the same fashion.

Yesterday, an article in the New York Times detailed the lengths China is going to in order to convince its people that their support for Russia is righteous and their hatred of the West is justified. The article goes on to outline China's pro-Putin propaganda, stating:

Chinese universities have organized classes to give students a ``correct understanding'' of the war, often highlighting Russia's grievances with the West. Party newspapers have run a series of commentaries blaming the United States of America for the conflict.

China's political posturing should be taken very, very seriously. The CCP is building the foundation for its future actions. Since 1949, the Chinese Communist Party has been eyeing Taiwan and patiently waiting. They have not attacked because the United States and other free nations have strengthened the tiny island. That is the essence of deterrence. We want Xi Jinping to look out his window each morning and think: Not today.

Our President's response to Russia's invading Ukraine has not inspired confidence in the Pacific. Joseph Wu, Taiwan's Foreign Minister, recently stated:

When we watch the events in Ukraine evolving . . . we are also watching very carefully what China may do [to us] in Taiwan.

Alarmingly, the White House is indifferent to the warming relations between China and Russia. When asked about a recent call between President Biden and President Xi, regarding the war in Ukraine, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, in part:

China has to make a decision for themselves about where they want to stand.

In July, President Biden's climate czar, John Kerry, said that he is ``genuine friends with China'' and continued to praise President Xi.

Let's get this straight. Russia and China both stand against the United States. Neither country is our friend--period. Both seek to expand authoritarian world order and diminish American leadership. The key difference is that Russia is a small bully, but China is a huge, huge threat.

China's growing economy affords its growing ambition. China became the world's largest exporting nation in 2009, and today, China controls the world's supply of titanium, rare earth metals, shipbuilding, and clothing manufacturing, among others.

China seeks to control the South China Sea and all the trade that flows through it. China wants to replace the dollar as the global reserve currency and aims to exceed the military might of the United States.

And there is no secret--there is no secret at all--that China wants Taiwan's semiconductor industry.

Semiconductors power our everyday life. If it has an on-and-off switch, it has a chip. Chips are even found nearly everywhere, from our credit cards to our phones, to the processors in our weapons, and even in our satellites.

For the sake of our national security, we need to increase domestic investment and produce these chips on American soil.

Currently, the Taiwan-based Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is responsible for over 90 percent--90 percent--of these chips, one small, little island.

Over the last decade, China has made investments in their domestic semiconductor industry, but Chinese-produced chips don't match the quality of those in Taiwan.

While Taiwan's semiconductor industry is second to none, American markets have experienced a surge in private sector investment and domestic production.

In the past year alone, private sector investment in domestic semiconductor manufacturing increased to $127 billion, with all signs indicating continued growth and investment in the years to come here in the United States.

And that is the way growth and innovation should happen, through the private sector, not Federal funding. Continued reliance on offshore suppliers for these chips poses too great a threat and risk to the supply chains from the CCP.

As we saw with Putin in the years prior to his invasion of Ukraine, Chinese leaders are clear about their plans for Taiwan.

Just last year, the CCP warned of ``drastic measures'' if Taiwan declares independence. Taiwan is independent. Beijing refuses to recognize and reckon with reality.

To deter Chinese aggression, the United States must have our forces in the Pacific modernized and ready at any time. That is why it was a major win that last year's NDAA secured funding for a robust missile defense system for Guam to counter CCP-launched cruise or ballistic missiles. Guam is our first line of defense from these, home to 160,000 Americans who are forward-deployed to defend the west coast and our country. Guam is the first island to defend.

However, as the CCP has continued to grow its military capabilities over the last decade, our own military has been hampered by cuts to defense spending, leaving our artillery antiquated and our defense capabilities weakened.

President Biden has been no different, offering up disappointing cuts to defense priorities in both of his first two budgets. These cuts most certainly caught the attention of our adversaries. This is yet another example of how sorely out of touch with reality the Biden administration is when it comes to defense. We cannot--we cannot-- continue to ask our men and women in uniform to do more with less, especially with China watching everything that we do.

While the world focuses on Eastern Europe, we must remain focused on Beijing. China is watching every move we make with regard to Putin, and they are taking notes.

We cannot allow Vladimir Putin's war to set a dangerous precedent. We must not make the same mistakes with Taiwan that the administration made with Ukraine, and that begins by sending a strong, clear message to our allies and adversaries that America will always be the world's most foremost superpower.

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